MMA Fighter Desmond Green Facing 19 Charges, 13 Of Them DUI-Related

New York has two different charges for those that drink and drive. The first is just a traffic infraction, known as driving while ability impaired, or DWAI. It is charged when a person is not at the legal limit for being intoxicated but is displaying signs of impairment. Driving while intoxicated is a criminal charge and is usually charged when a person has reached a blood-alcohol level of 0.08%. However, multiple DWAI charges can result in a simple traffic infraction becoming a criminal charge, along with increasing the fines and penalties a person would face.

The Miami Herald reports on an MMA fighter from Rochester, New York, facing a total of 19 charges, including 13 DUI charges.

MMA fighter Desmond Green is facing the litany of charges in connection with a fatal accident last August that killed two people. The charges include 13 DUI charges and 3 drug charges.

Regardless of sobriety, Green should not have been driving because his license was suspended. He’d received a ticket for driving on a suspended license just 16 days before the fatal accident.

On August 18, 2018, Green was unable to maintain his lane as he drove beneath the Sheridan Street I-75 overpass. At around 6:05 a.m., Green’s Dodge Durango clipped an International Prostar. Green’s vehicle then swerved across the road, hitting a metal guardrail, then veered back into traffic. It subsequently hit a 2005 Acura 3.2 TL, a 2017 Volkswagen Jetta, and a 2007 Toyota Yaris.

67-year-old Emelina Morfa and 76-year-old Emma Suarez Hernandez were pronounced dead at the scene. Though they wore their seatbelts, they died from multiple blunt force injuries.

Officers allege that following the accident, a witness observed Green throwing a grinder with marijuana residue out of the vehicle. A bag of cocaine was also found on the seat of the vehicle Green was driving. He allegedly smelled of alcohol, according to officers. His blood tested positive for cannabinoids.

The charges that Green faces include two counts of DUI manslaughter (unlawful blood alcohol level), two counts of DUI manslaughter, and four counts of DUI causing serious bodily injury. He is also facing drug charges for cocaine and marijuana.

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